As the components required to build a computer system have reduced in size, new categories of computer systems have emerged. One of the more recent categories of computer systems is the portable or “palmtop” computer system, or personal digital assistant (PDA). A palmtop computer system is a computer that is small enough to be held in the hand of a user and is thus “palm-sized.” As a result, palmtops are readily carried about in a briefcase or purse, and some palmtops are compact enough to fit into a person's pocket. By virtue of their size, palmtop computer systems are also lightweight and so are exceptionally portable and convenient.
With the advent of the wireless technology, users of portable computers and various other mobile devices (e.g. pagers and paging systems, wireless and cellular telephones, electronic address books, and the like) now have wireless access to a host of content. This content includes web-based content which can be accessed using the Internet. Based on rapid consumer acceptance of recent technological advances, it is extremely likely that the demand for such web-based content using mobile devices will sharply accelerate. Some provisions have been made in web-based content, and in the delivery of such web-based content, to accommodate mobile devices. These provisions, referred to herein as tailoring of the content, typically comprise generically parsing information which is to be transmitted using a wireless communication system to a user of a mobile device (often referred to as “web-clipping”). As an example, many examples of generic web-clipping simply delete images, icons, and other graphics present in the web content. Unfortunately, in many applications (e.g. ECommerce) certain images, icons, and other graphics (e.g. a shopping cart icon, a “buy now” button, a picture of the item being purchased, and the like) are necessary or, at the least, important in comprehending the web-based content. Thus, even when certain web-based content has been “tailored” for mobile devices using conventional methods, such tailored content may still not be suitable for mobile device users.
As an additional drawback, many suppliers of web-based content have not yet made such provisions to accommodate the users of mobile devices. That is, the content has not yet been tailored by the web content suppliers to provide access by a mobile device. As a result, such web-based content is essentially not accessible to mobile device users. For example, users of mobile devices have not typically been enabled to effectively utilize many of the existing ECommerce applications. This inability of the mobile device user to utilize existing ECommerce applications is not, however, solely due to a lack of tailoring by ECommerce content providers. Even if all such ECommerce applications and corresponding content were conventionally tailored to accommodate users of mobile devices, ECommerce applications often contain superfluous information which is difficult to ignore when using a mobile device. That is, ECommerce content often requires viewing of numerous unwanted images (e.g. advertisements, banners, company logos, and the like). In order to navigate through such unnecessarily crowded sites requires the use of nested windows and pull down tabs, and substantial data entry. Hence, small form factor mobile devices with stylus-stroked entry pads, small viewing screens, limited keypad buttons, and the like, renders the use of certain tailored and un-tailored web-based content tedious and time consuming.
As still another disadvantage, many wireless communication systems (e.g. cellular telephone companies) charge users “by-the-minute”. As a result, the longer it takes mobile device users to conduct their business, (e.g. to transmit superfluous data and unwanted advertisements) the more it costs. Hence, the cost to conventionally transmit information, via a wireless communication link, to a mobile device is compounded by the physical limitations of small form factor mobile devices as well as by the lack of provisions by certain content providers to accommodate mobile device users.
Thus, a need exists for a method and system which dynamically manages the content provided to a mobile device. A further need exists for a method and system which meets the above needs and which dynamically manages the content provided to a mobile device even if the content has not previously been tailored to accommodate access by a mobile device. Still another need exists for a method and system which meets the above needs and which inexpensively, and quickly provides a mobile device user with desired information without supplying superfluous and/or unwanted information.